


Stand by Me

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Stingue [4]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Grudges, Love, M/M, Promises, Protectiveness, Reputations, Understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-09-01 11:44:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16764466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Sabertooth is moving forward. However its past reputation is not so easily forgotten and Sting bears the brunt of it a Guild Master's conference, but fortunately he's not alone.





	Stand by Me

Rogue had been surprised when Sting had asked him to accompany him to the first Guild Masters’ meeting that his mate was attending since the Guild had changed hands, and initially he had tried to refuse. Not only because he hadn’t been invited, but because he had been worried that his reputation and the trouble he’d had with his magic would cast a shadow over the meeting, something they could ill afford with the reputation that Sabertooth was still trying to discard. It wasn’t as though Sting was going to be away for too long either as the conference was only supposed to last for a couple of days at most, and they had been apart for longer than that before, albeit not for a while. However, Sting had been determined, hounding him for days about accompanying him, even pleading with him at times and in the end he had capitulated, not that he had ever been good at denying his mate, especially when he used that particular wide-eyed pleading look.

Which was why he was currently here, tucked away in a chair at the back of the conference hall and utterly bored out of his brains. Sure he could follow most of it, better than most people probably, as he was the one that Sting most often managed to rope into helping him with paperwork, but that didn’t mean he had to enjoy it. Especially, as they seemed happy to spend ages prattling on about the most trivial concerns, and he sighed, returning to conjuring shadows under the chairs in front of him, entertaining himself by twisting them into various shapes. Distracting himself from the fact that he could have been out on a job, or even taking care of the paperwork that was undoubtedly being added to the mountain that they had left behind, and not for the first time he wished that he could just have said ‘no’.

*

It was around lunchtime that he finally began to realise what he was doing here, and why Sting had asked him to come along. _Protection._ He hadn’t noticed it at first, relieved to be out of the boring meeting and eagerly anticipating the food that he could smell trickling through the air from the kitchen. However, as he glanced across the room in search of his mate who had gone to get them food, he found himself tensing, eyes narrowing as he watched the others who were moving around the room, realising that not one of them was allowing themselves to get into Sting’s space or meet his partner’s gaze. In fact, with the exception of Makarov who was focused on pouring himself a drink just along the table from where Sting was stood, they seemed to be deliberately giving his mate a wide berth.

He might have dismissed it, especially when he glanced at Sting who outwardly didn’t seem to be aware of what was happening, or if he was, he didn’t seem bothered by it. However, Rogue wasn’t like most people, and he knew Sting better than anyone, easily able to cut through any mask that his mate could conjure to try and cover his emotions. It was how he caught Sting’s minute flinches whenever someone deliberately moved away from him, and the way that blue eyes had dimmed when Sting finally turned back towards him. _He’s hurting._ It was as obvious to Rogue as the sky being blue, and a low growl rumbled in his chest, climbing to a snarl as he watched another Guild Master sway out of his mate’s path. It was too deliberate to have been anything but avoidance, and he was up and out of his chair even before he saw Sting’s expression crumple for a second. There were many things that he could and would tolerate, especially when it was aimed at him and not his mate, but this was targeting Sting. Targeting his mate, and seeing Sting slowly retreating in on himself was not something he could ignore.

Rogue paid no attention to how people moved out of his path as he made a beeline for his mate, or to the way that all the shadows in the room were beginning to twist and curl towards him in response to his growing anger. All he could see at the moment was Sting, catching the way the blond had stiffened as he noticed his approach, and another growl escaped when his mate turned towards him, his mask falling away completely as their eyes met.

“Sting,” he murmured, his voice soft despite his anger which was aimed at the Mages around them and not his mate, and he took the plates of food from Sting and set them aside before drawing his partner into his arms. Now that they were pressed together the was no way for him to miss the tremors wracking Sting’s body, and his anger swelled, boiling over into fury, and he could feel the shadows darkening around them, reflecting his desire to lash out the men and women responsible for reducing his mate to this state.

He wouldn’t though, not now, when his focus was centred on the man in his arms, and his growling trailed off into a softer, more soothing hum as he pulled Sting against him, and nuzzled into his mate’s neck, scenting him and trying to remind him that he wasn’t alone. That he would never be alone, because he was Rogue’s, but it wasn’t enough, and when he caught a soft noise from Sting that was a little too close to a whine for his liking from his mate, he decided that enough was enough. He hadn’t come here because of the conference or the other masters, and he didn’t care what they thought as he pulled his shadows in around them, and before Sting could protest or anyone could try and intervene, he had pulled them both into the welcoming darkness, shifting them upstairs to the room they had were sharing.

They materialised beside the bed, and Rogue was gentle but insistent as he nudged Sting back until his mate bumped into the side of the bed, falling back and sitting on the edge, allowing Rogue to crouch down in front of him, hands on his knees as he peered up at his mate with a concerned expression. “What was that all about?” He asked, voice soft. But the demand for answers was there and he was unsurprised when Sting glanced away, avoiding his gaze for a moment as he tried to gather his thoughts and he let him be, watching as frustration, hurt and finally exhausted acceptance passed over his mate’s face, before blue eyes rose to meet his gaze once more.

“They haven’t quite moved past our old reputation, or…” He trailed off, choking on his words, but he didn’t need to finish them because Rogue hadn’t missed the shiver that followed or the way that Sting’s fingers had inched towards his guild mark. Rogue immediately moved to intercept it, twining their fingers together and lifting Sting’s hand so that he could press a kiss to the back of it before he finished for him.

“Jiemma.” It wasn’t a question. Their old master hadn’t limited his temper or cruelty to just their guild, and they had heard rumours about his conduct at the few conferences he had actually bothered to attend, and it wasn’t something that was going to be easily forgotten. Hell, Sabertooth was still trying to find its way back from the edge Jiemma had pushed it too, and Rogue knew that it would take them a while to get there. _But that was Jiemma. That wasn’t us, and it certainly wasn’t Sting._ That wasn’t strictly true, as he knew that their conduct hadn’t been the best, especially during the Grand Magic Games, but they were working hard to change all that. However, it seemed that people weren’t as willing to see or accept that as he had hoped they would be and sighed as Sting gave the smallest of nods, agreeing with his words. “Sting…why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, not accusing, but wanting to know the answer all the same as it was rare for his mate to even try and keep anything like this from him, and even rarer for him to succeed, and he was trying to think back to see if there was anything he had missed.

Sting had the grace to look embarrassed, although he didn’t look completely repentant even as he glanced away again, clearly trying to work out how to put his thoughts and reasons into words. He was still trembling, although not as severely as he had been downstairs, and Rogue squeezed his fingers, encouraging and promising patience all at once.

“I’m sorry,” Sting finally muttered, glancing at him. “I was trying not to worry you, especially when I know you didn’t really want to be here, and I was hoping that recent events would cast us in a more positive light.” _But it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough._ Rogue had already been ready to growl at the idiot for trying to deal with it on his own, although the fact that he had pleaded with Rogue to accompany him at least indicated that he had known better than to try and deal with it completely alone. However, those unspoken words did bring to a snarl to his lips, because he knew better than anyone how hard the guild had strived to improve itself since Jiemma had left, and just how many hours Sting had been working to support that. And if he wasn’t working on that or the mountains of paperwork, or away on a job with Rogue, then he was worrying about what else he could to help the guild.

“Sting…” He trailed off, not entirely sure what he wanted to say, or what he could say to make this better because he knew that Sting knew he admired everything he had done for the guild. He had made sure of it and sighed before a thought occurred to him, and his expression darkened. “Makarov isn’t one of them, is he?” He demanded, struggling to remember if Makarov had directly interacted with his mate at any point, at least beyond the discussion about the Council regulations earlier that morning.

“No,” Sting replied immediately, shaking his head and even managing a small smile, squeezing the fingers holding his as he added quietly. “I even heard him speaking to some of the others about their behaviour, although I don’t know how much good it did. Fairy Tail has its own reputation to deal with, and his voice alone isn’t enough to counteract everything that Sabertooth is associated with, but at least it means I have one friendly face in there. Besides you of course…” He added trying to put on a brave face. Makarov’s support and welcome had been one of the only reasons he had held it together as long as he had that morning under the disapproving glares, and with his sharp hearing picking up on the whispers that he knew he wasn’t supposed to have heard. He’d even been expecting it, after all that was why he had wanted Rogue to accompany him, but he was starting to realise that he hadn’t been prepared for it at all.

“Well, that’s something at least. Still…” _You’re much too forgiving,_ Rogue thought with a soft growl, relieved that at least Sting hadn’t been entirely alone out there and wondering just how much else he had missed while he had allowed his thoughts to drift because of boredom earlier. He shifted uneasily, staring at their linked fingers, wondering just how much trouble he would get if he took the issue up with the people downstairs as he realised that Sting’s fingers were still trembling against his. Something of his thoughts must’ve shown in his face, or maybe it was the shadows that had given him away as he could feel them swirling behind him, because Sting pulled one hand free, reaching out to brush fingers along Rogue’s jaw and the Shadow Dragon-slayer blinked as he realised just how tightly he’d had it clenched.

“Rogue, please…” Sting began, quietly pleaded and Rogue wanted to groan because that was the same voice that had persuaded him to come to the conference in the first place, and even after all these years together he hadn’t found a defence against it. Much less when Sting was already hurting. “Please don’t cause a scene here. I can bear it a little longer, especially with you here and I want to prove them all wrong, about me, about Sabertooth and about us.” It was that reason and the resolution that grew in Sting’s voice as he voiced it, rather than the pleading tone that convinced him them. Mainly because he had to admit that it would be far more satisfying to show them what the new Sabertooth, the guild they were building around them with the help of their friends…their family was able of, but he couldn’t wholly mask his reluctance as he nodded.

“Fine…” _But if they hurt you again…_

He knew that Sting had caught the unspoken words, aware that the threat was written across his face, and he was relieved when Sting sighed but didn’t protest, looking down at their linked hands for a moment before peeking up at him. “Will…” He hesitated for a moment, and Rogue hummed under his breath, encouraging him to continue. “Will you stay up here with me? Just until the end of lunch, because I’m not ready to go back down yet.” The admission nearly made Rogue break his word there and then because it was rare for Sting to voice any kind of weakness even to him, and there was a fresh wave of anger at those words. However, he had promised, and the fact that Sting had asked and made his wishes clear meant that there was no way Rogue was going to deny him.

“Yes,” he murmured, climbing to his feet, and nudging his mate back until Sting was properly situated on the bed, before settling down alongside him and lifting an arm, allowing his mate to immediately curl into his side, head rest on his shoulder. Some of his anger easing, and a faint smile tugging at his lips as Sting nuzzled against him, leaning in to scent him, in the same way, that Rogue had done to him earlier, and he reached out to gently run his fingers through Sting’s hair as he added sternly. “I’m going to sit beside you when we go back downstairs, and I don’t care what anyone has to say about it, because I am not leaving you alone again.”, He felt Sting stiffen at his words, before his mate twisted to look at him, a protest clearly building in the wide eyes, and Rogue bopped him on the nose before he could so much as get a single word out. “That’s not up for debate, Sting.”

“Okay…” Sting sighed, his acceptance just as reluctant as Rogue’s promise had been a few minutes before. Admitting defeat as he picked up on the steel underlying Rogue’s voice, the anger that they both knew was going to linger until they were safely at home and surrounded by their own people. However, he knew that it wasn’t aimed at him, that it was born of a need to protect him and a small smile crept across his face as nuzzled close to Rogue once more. “Thank you.”


End file.
